[Ceri W]

Hi! I have a 2.5 year old male hovawart, Cato. He has been having these episodes of manic/frantic gulping, licking on and off for about a year now. The really bad episides have so far always started late evening, and when really bad they continue throughout the whole night. He will also lick at the floor or eat grass or leaves if we let him out. The gulping means he takes in loads of air and I can hear his tummy gurgling, I try to burp him, and do my best to try to calm him down. It’s so distressing for him and us.

He seems to have the bad episides about every three to four months, but in between he has smaller episides throughout the day, but they seem more like exaggerated swallowing motions as opposed to the air gulping. Sometimes he coughs and “huffs” a bit too. He’s been on famotidine 20mg twice a day since October 2016, and we thought it was helping but then smaller episodes happen and we had a big all night one again last week, so not convinced on the acid reflux.

He’s had x rays and a manual exam of the throat and soft palate, that showed very angry red tonsils, but don’t know if they flare up and cause it, or the constant gulping over night causes the tonsils to get sore. Speaking to his vet again on Wednesday as she is away at the moment, but don’t know what to do. He’s on a good, low fat, average protein chicken and rice kibble with wet chicken and rice added, and the whole meal is wetted with turmeric “gravy”. Any thoughts, advice welcomed. It’s so confusing and worrying, especially with so many cases seemingly unsolved.

I should add that I’m in the UK.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 10 months ago by Ceri W.